Fabiano do Nascimento & E Ruscha V

(This article’s English version was produced with AI-assisted translation)

Spring hasn’t even arrived yet, and the notes of guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento and ambient artist E Ruscha V are already warming the air. Based in Los Angeles, the two musicians deliver forty minutes at a slow, contemplative pace: an ode to relaxation built on soft layers of synthesizers and gently nu-jazz–tinged drum patterns. In short, a textbook chillout record, filled with delicate reverb and melodies as light as an equatorial breeze.
Within this drift, do Nascimento floats with his excursions on seven-string acoustic guitar, drawing from the choro tradition and Afro-samba roots he has long absorbed and reworked. It’s a path he has already explored in solo works such as “Dança dos tempos” (2015), an exhilarating burst of samba-jazz warmth. Here, however, the aesthetic of E Ruscha V seems to take the lead, with his laid-back downtempo approach, at times almost too accommodating.

The chemistry is there, yet in several passages the synthetic frameworks end up containing the guitarist’s flair, and perhaps Ruscha’s as well, within coordinates that are intriguing but rarely daring. There are standout moments, but the feeling of restrained potential remains. The most compelling stretches emerge when the duo steps away from the balearic beat and pushes a little further, as in the odd-time explorations of “Bio,” where the absence of a kick drum opens space for a more vivid dialogue between electronics and strings.
Ruscha’s production shines in its timbral care, especially in the modular synth work and vintage keyboards. Still, the constant presence of rhythm, discreet as it may be, often smooths the edges too much. It’s an album shaped by calm and shifting vibrations, though over time it can feel slightly polished. A touch more boldness might have made it truly glow.

26/02/2026